THE TEN AT 10
1. Having a blackout versus Kentucky is a fine idea, though coach Mark Fox emphasized he had "nothing" to do with it. The game is already a solid sell-out and the fan atmosphere at Stegeman Coliseum is expected to be positively electric. But that's not going help the Bulldogs beat what some are calling the best college basketball team of all time.
The No. 1-ranked and undefeated Wildcats (29-0, 16-0 SEC) play before packed houses everywhere they go. And they will be well-represented as usual by a large Big Blue contingent of their own in Athens.
I asked some coaches on the SEC teleconference call Monday whether they thought Georgia (19-9, 10-6) and what it might take to do it.
"I guess that's why they play the games because anything is possible. But if Georgia is going to pull it off, they're going to have to be awfully good," said Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings. "The one thing I would say is you have to make a bunch of shots against them, a bunch of 3s. you just don't get a lot of good looks around the basket because of their length and athleticism and how good they are on the ball. … Maybe if they can hit a bunch of 3s against them. Maybe."
Vanderbilt is one of about seven teams that played the Wildcats relatively close this season. The Commodores didn’t make a ton of 3s (seven) but did out-shoot Kentucky overall, 53 to 46.
Ole Miss, which took the ‘Cats to overtime on Jan. 6, also made a lot of 3s (nine). And the Rebels and Texas A&M, which also lost in overtime, each matched Kentucky in rebounding.
Another primary ingredient for contending with the Wildcats is belief, according to Florida coach Billy Donovan.
“You understand how good they are going into the game and you have to like the fact that your guys are getting a chance to go against the best team in the country,” said Donovan, whose Gators lost to Kentucky 68-61 on Feb. 7 in Gainesville. “Regardless of what happens in the game, you’re going to find out more about yourselves. I always like going against the best. And clearly, from start to finish, Kentucky is the best team in the country.”
2. Georgia played the Wildcats earlier this season and didn't embarrass themselves. The Bulldogs lost in Rupp Arena 69-58 on Feb. 3, but were within five points with two minutes to play.
Georgia was playing that game without leading scorer and rebounder Marcus Thornton as well as small forwards Juwan Parker and Kenny Paul Geno. All three will be available Tuesday night, a fact that coach Mark Fox downplays.
“Looking back on it, I just don’t think Kentucky played very well,” Fox said before the Bulldogs’ practice on Monday. “They didn’t have (Trey) Lyles. We got it close, but that game wasn’t close.”
The fact is, Fox’s Georgia teams have given the Wildcats some of their better games in recent years. The Bulldogs have beaten them twice in Athens, winning 77-70 in 2011 and 72-62 last year. Kentucky blew them out twice in 2012 and won by 20-plus in two meetings last year, one in Lexington and the other in the SEC tournament.
3. Fox certainly has earned the respect of Kentucky coach John Calipari.
“I’ve been doing this for 20-some years and Mark Fox, every game we’ve played has been one of those games where he’s tried things, done things,” Calipari said Monday. “He may come out and play zone; he may come out and play man; they may sag. You don’t know what he’s going to do. He looks at the tape and he’s going to try to exploit us defensively.
“He is one of those coaches that I know, when we walk in, we better be ready. Our team better be ready. Our staff better be ready. His team will be ready. He’s one of the toughest ones to go against that I’ve faced in 20-some years.”
4. One common denominator for most teams that have played the Wildcats well is they've made a lot of 3s. Georgia is one of the better 3-point shooting teams in the league. But Fox said that doesn't mean the Bulldogs can just bomb away from beyond the arc.
“Their defense is so good, you’ve got to take the shots you can get, and you’ve got to work to get the best shots you can. I think teams take more 3s because that’s all they can get off because their team is so good. We’re going to have to make some shots, no doubt.”
One thing Fox said that is critically important, however, is not to make the moment bigger than it is.
“We have to be true to ourselves,” Fox said. “We had to be true to our competitive self and we have to be able to play in the moment. So emotionally we’ve got to be balanced; that’s going to be critical. It’s really hard to do sometimes. You obviously want to use whatever emotion you can to your advantage, but you can’t let it get the best of you.”
One thing the Bulldogs won’t be is tight. Fox emphasized is that the outcome of Tuesday’s game won’t be make-or-break to Georgia’s NCAA tournament chances.
“I think that Kansas and North Carolina will likely get into the NCAA tournament. They couldn’t beat Kentucky, OK?” Fox said. “Kentucky’s beaten the brakes off of everybody, and Georgia doesn’t have to beat Kentucky to go to the NCAA tournament. If that was the standard, none of those teams would go either. But that’s not what we’re concerned about. We’re concerned about playing the best basketball we can.”
5. In addition to getting some injured players back lately, some of the Bulldogs previously wounded players are slowing winding back into form. Chief among them is J.J. Frazier.
The sophomore point guard suffered a concussion in the Auburn game on Feb. 14 and continues to play in a protective mask to protect the orbital bone fracture he incurred from that collision. Frazier is slowly playing more and more since returning from that injury. He played 23 minutes against Missouri this past Saturday and had 10 points and five assists.
He said he feels better, plus he’s getting used to playing in the plastic mask, which he’ll have to wear “two or three more weeks possibly.”
“It’s still a little uncomfortable,” he said. “But I’ve been shooting in it and moving around in it and practicing in it. So I’m starting to get my footing in the mask and I feel in a little bit better rhythm.”
6. Lastly on Georgia's men's basketball, it's apparently "unlikely" now that Georgia will get a visit from 5-star recruiting prospect Jaylen Brown on Tuesday. That's according to AJC recruiting reporter Michael Carvell, who spoke to Brown's mother.
The Bulldogs were hoping they could get the state’s top player to attend the Kentucky game. But the 9 p.m. tipoff time on a school night coupled with Brown’s preparations for Wheeler’s appearance in the state tournament this weekend are expected to keep Brown away.
Nevertheless, Carvell reports that the Bulldogs are “a frontrunner” for the 6-foot-7 forward. He’s also considering Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina and UCLA.
7. As of Tuesday, the Bulldogs are just two weeks away from the start of spring football practice. Georgia begins on Mark 17 and is scheduled to hold 15 practices, two of which will come after the April 11 G-Day Game at Sanford Stadium.
It has been the Bulldogs’ tradition in recent years to utilize two more practices to clean up any issues that may have arisen in the annual spring game.
Fortunately for Georgia, UGA’s spring break is March 9-13 this year and will come before the start of practice.
8. The Bulldogs will also hold Pro Day on March 18 at the Butts-Mehre football complex and the annual spring coaches' clinic on March 26-27. The keynote speaker for this year's coaches' clinic is Jacksonville Jaguars' head coach Gus Bradley.
Also scheduled to make featured appearances are former Georgia head coach and athletic director Vince Dooley, 1982 Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker, and 2014 NFL Man of the Year and UGA All-American Thomas Davis of the Carolina Panthers. Current Bulldogs coach Mark Richt, defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer also will be offering instruction during the two-day seminar.
Championship-winning high school coaches will also be offering "chalk-talk," including Rush Propst (Colquitt County), Kevin Kinsler (Northside), Jess Simpson (Buford), Hal Lamb (Calhoun), Danny Britt (Benedictine Military), David Daniell (Hawkinsville) and Mitch Jordan (Mt. Paran Christian).
To register visit www.MarkRichtFootballCamp.com or call the coaches’ office at 706-542-1515.
9. Hope you got a chance to read the "open letter to the Bulldog Nation" that Georgia's Chris Conley recently penned. Well, the Bulldogs' star receiver from this past season will be recognized for such good works on Thursday at the 10th annual Atlanta Sports Awards at the Fabulous Fox Theatre. He is scheduled to receive the Community Spirit Award presented by Georgia Power during the black-tie affair.
Several other Bulldogs are on the VIP list and also could be receiving awards. Among them are UGA swimming and diving coach Jack Bauerle and his assistant, Stefanie Williams, and former Georgia quarterbacks Aaron Murray and D.J. Shockley.
10. This & that: Georgia picked up another commitment for its 2016 football recruiting class. Darion Anderson, a 3-star receiver from Houston County High School, picked UGA over Cincinnati on Monday. That gives the Bulldogs seven commitments so far with 11 months to go before national signing day. … Georgia's women's basketball team begins its push to make NCAA tournament on Thursday. The Lady Dogs (18-11, 6-10) enter the SEC tournament as the No. 10 seed and will take on No. 7 Missouri at 7 p.m. Thursday. Georgia has received 20 NCAA tournament bids in a row but is in jeopardy of missing this year after losing eight games in a row following the season-ending injury to guard Shacobia Barbee.
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